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ILR 75th Anniversary

Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the ILR School

Our Stories

Carroll Helped Develop Leaders

Gene Carroll leaves a legacy of educating current and future labor and social justice leaders.
Gene Carroll speaking at a rally.
Carroll Helped Develop Leaders

John Bickerman ’78, MS ’80

“My professors became friends,” says the 2021 Groat Award winner, in sharing his ILR experiences. “I consider them all part of my Cornell family.”
John Bickerman with Professor David Lipsky
John Bickerman ’78, MS ’80

Bobbie Horowitz ’61

Having recently celebrated her 60th Cornell Reunion, Bobbie Horowitz ’61 continues to count the faculty at ILR and her human relations courses among the things she loved the most about her alma mater.
Bobbie Horowitz '61 and her son, David Slone ’91, JD ’94
Bobbie Horowitz ’61

Harold Oaklander ’52

Harold Oaklander ’52, the proud patriarch of a multigenerational Cornell family, will celebrate his 100th birthday this summer. A member of the fourth class to graduate from ILR, he has remained an active alumni, serving as a guest lecturer at age 97.
Harold Oaklander ’52 at work in the ILR School in 1952.
Harold Oaklander ’52

The Next 75 Years, According to ILR Faculty

With the ILR School’s 75th anniversary celebration coming to a close, faculty and staff provide a glimpse into the future.
Ives Hall Cupola
The Next 75 Years, According to ILR Faculty

Khary Pryce ’22

Student-athlete shares her ILR learning with the Ivy League sports community and across campus.
Khary Pryce ‘22 competes with the Big Red women's tennis team vs. Binghamton during the 2020 season.
Khary Pryce ’22

Professor Edward Lawler

Professor Edward Lawler, a sociologist known for his warmth and leadership as dean, says ILR's mission is timeless.
American Sociological Association will recognize professor Lawler in August
Professor Edward Lawler

Professor Harry Katz

ILR Dean Alex Colvin and Professor Harry Katz discuss the school’s expansion during Katz’s time as dean.
Dean Harry Katz
Professor Harry Katz

Katie Falb DeNitto ’15

Katie Falb DeNitto ’15 took the lessons she learned at ILR and used them to help the Big Red men’s lightweight rowing varsity eight win consecutive IRA National Championships.
Katie Falb DeNitto '15 holding the Platt Cup
Katie Falb DeNitto ’15

John Frinzi, MPS ’21

MPS student John Frinzi used the skills he learned at the ILR School to help his company adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Frinzi, MPS ’21
John Frinzi, MPS ’21

Barbara Loreto Peltz ’55

A graduate shares the experiences of the mid-1950s ILR, including the bus rides, Quonset hut classes and May Day singing.
Barbara Loreto Peltz photo
Barbara Loreto Peltz ’55

Caroline Manning ’22

Through a credit internship, Caroline researched the history of discriminatory hiring on New York City's waterfront.
Caroline Manning ’22
Caroline Manning ’22

MILR “Just Clicked”

Liz Heitner, MILR ’06, has been tapped by Penn Mutual to lead its human resources division through the post-pandemic world.
Liz Heitner, MILR ’06
MILR “Just Clicked”

Full Speed Ahead

Jordan Berman ’95 leads fellow alumni beyond COVID-19
Jordan Berman ’95 selfie at Schoelkopf Field
Full Speed Ahead

Disability Studies Applied in NYC

ILR credit internships at OPEN DOORS also help students gain professional experience in the arts, grassroots organizing and justice initiatives.
Group of people in NYC holding a night vigil holding signs that say, "Nursing Home Lives Matter".
Disability Studies Applied in NYC

ILRie Named Student-Elected Trustee

Selam Woldai ’23 will serve as Cornell’s next undergraduate student trustee.
Selam Woldai ’23
ILRie Named Student-Elected Trustee

Eitan Wolf ’21

Relying on the ILR alumni network helped ILR senior navigate the job market during unsure times.
Eitan Wolf ’21, photo credit Ariella Wolf Photography
Eitan Wolf ’21

End of an Era

Labor economist Robert Aronson was part of ILR’s first generation of professors
Robert Aronson
End of an Era

Andres Alvarado ’21

ILR senior shares his experiences as an ILRie in Ithaca and in New York City, where he worked with artists and advocates motivated by community building, gun violence prevention and disability rights.”
in the Coler Hospital Library teaching Peter Yearwood about using the Microsoft Office Suite.
Andres Alvarado ’21

James Lowell Jackson ’17

ILR graduate is taking his international education to the U.S. State Department.
James “Lowell” Jackson ’17
James Lowell Jackson ’17

Benson Reflects on 500-Book Career

Editor helped shape the future of industrial relations through her work.
Fran Benson
Benson Reflects on 500-Book Career

ILR Alumni Find Success In Storage Business

When Nick Huber ’12 and Dan Hagberg ’12 started a storage business out of their Collegetown basement, they didn’t realize it would change their lives.
ILR alumni Nick Huber ’12 and Dan Hagberg ’12
ILR Alumni Find Success In Storage Business

Natalie Lilien ’21

ILR senior who has researched autism and employment says ILR gave her the confidence "to think outside of the box and not be afraid to share my ideas."
Natalie Lilien ’21
Natalie Lilien ’21

Jeannette Boot, MPS ’21

Lawyer Jeannette Boot, MPS '21, enrolled in the graduate program to help her manage the most meaningful project of her career.

Jeannette Boot MPS class of '21
Jeannette Boot, MPS ’21

ILR Alumnae Instrumental in Online Workers’ Rights Handbook

Cecilia Faringer-Perez ’18 has helped launch a practical online guide for workers through the Tompkins County Workers' Center.

A cartoon image promoting workers' rights
ILR Alumnae Instrumental in Online Workers’ Rights Handbook

Lou Jean Fleron

A self-described “Midwestern pragmatist,” Lou Jean Fleron has dedicated more than 40 years to ILR’s work in Western New York, and she has no intention of letting “retirement” slow her down.
Lou Jean Fleron standing in the Cornell Buffalo building's atrium.
Lou Jean Fleron

Jeffrion Aubry ’99

The NBA’s Jeffrion Aubry relies on what he learned at ILR daily.
Jeffrion Aubry ’99
Jeffrion Aubry ’99

Roxi Bahar Hewertson, MPS ’04

A leadership expert with more than 30 years of experience, Roxi Bahar Hewertson, MPS ’04, has carved out a career focused on developing high performing leaders.
Roxi Bahar Hewertson, MPS ’04
Roxi Bahar Hewertson, MPS ’04

Ricky Rahne ’02

Every day, an ILR education serves Cornell football great Ricky Rahne ’02 in his collegiate coaching career.
Ricky Rahne ’02
Ricky Rahne ’02

Shaloni Pinto ’20

Shaloni Pinto had many experiences while at ILR, including leading the Scheinman Dispute Resolution Club.
Shaloni Pinto ’20
Shaloni Pinto ’20

Josh Mendelsohn ’04

Josh Mendelsohn is the author of "The Cap: How Larry Fleisher and David Stern Built the Modern NBA," published in October.
Josh Mendelsohn ’04
Josh Mendelsohn ’04

Ann Muhvich, MILR ’21

Ann Muhvich moved across the country to join ILR's MILR program. Her next stop is Chicago, where she will be part of a human capital strategy practice.
Ann Muhvich MILR ’21
Ann Muhvich, MILR ’21

Dr. Ramaswami "Balu" Balasubramaniam

Frank Rhodes Professor and leader of Indian NGO reflects on ILR’s impact.
Dr. Ramaswami "Balu" Balasubramaniam teaching in an ILR classroom
Dr. Ramaswami "Balu" Balasubramaniam

Marcia Greenbaum ’62

A leading dispute resolution professional, Marcia Greenbaum helped guide industrial and labor relations into the future.
Marcia Greenbaum ’62
Marcia Greenbaum ’62

Alex Bores '13

Alex Bores has combined his background in ILR with a master's in computer science to develop a career helping those struggling with government debt.
Alex Bores '13
Alex Bores '13

Leading ILR: School’s Legacy, Future Discussed

Student well-being and cross-campus collaborations among topics discussed by Alex Colvin and Kevin Hallock.
Kevin Hallock - Dean, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Professor of Strategy and Business Economics Joseph R. Rich ’80 Professor of Economics and Human Resource Studies
Leading ILR: School’s Legacy, Future Discussed

Laurie Ann Atienza ’11

Laurie Ann Atienza ’11 has been able to live her values, thanks to a career that allows her to fight for working people.
Laurie Ann Atienza ’11
Laurie Ann Atienza ’11

Simon Boehme ’14

As a tech entrepreneur and mediator, Simon Boehme ‘14 has founded and advised multiple legal tech companies, along with writing and teaching online dispute resolution for the past 10 years.
Simon Boehme ’14
Simon Boehme ’14

Mary Donlon, Trailblazer, Early ILR Supporter

A trailblazer who paved the way for women in the field of law, Mary Donlon, a 1920 Cornell graduate, was instrumental in establishing the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Judge Mary Donlon, a 1920 Cornell graduate
Mary Donlon, Trailblazer, Early ILR Supporter

Angelica Allen-McMillan ’91

Learn about one ILRie’s path to public education leadership.
Angelica Allen-McMillan ’91
Angelica Allen-McMillan ’91

U.S. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins

The first woman cabinet member was an ILR faculty member for eight years.
Frances Perkins (Frances Perkins Center)
U.S. Labor Secretary Frances Perkins

ILR: “Like My Family”

A member of the ILR School’s first-ever class, Jerry Alpern ’49, MBA ’50, has provided a lifetime of commitment to his alma mater.
Jerry Alpern ’49, MBA ’50
ILR: “Like My Family”

ILR – Continuing the Mission

Dean Alex Colvin speaks with David Lipsky, ILR alum, professor and former dean.
David Lipsky ’61
ILR – Continuing the Mission

Sonia Guior ’15

Sonia Guior ‘15 is a self-described New Yorker, transportation nerd and aspiring Adirondack 46er. She also relies heavily on her ILR degree in her roles as employee, manager, union member and regulator of a rapidly evolving industry.
Sonia Guior ’15
Sonia Guior ’15

Colin Benedict '21

Coming from the Akwesasne Mohawk territory, Colin Benedict ’21 has mentored fellow Indigenous students and advocates for Indigenous rights on campus, work he hopes to continue after graduating.
Colin Benedict ‘21
Colin Benedict '21

Alex Kantrowitz ’09

“ILR taught me how to think. Looking at labor through multiple lenses … helped me build a 360-degree view of the way the world works,” alum says.
Alex Kantrowitz ’09
Alex Kantrowitz ’09

Liel Sterling ’21

ILR is preparing a generation of leaders to take on difficult questions and enact legal and policy change, according to ILR senior Liel Sterling.
Liel Sterling
Liel Sterling ’21

Ben Francis-Fallon ’01

Ben Francis-Fallon ’01 takes the lessons he learned at ILR and applies them to educating the next generation as a history professor at Western Carolina University.
Ben Francis-Fallon ’01
Ben Francis-Fallon ’01

Ian Greer, M.S. ’03, Ph.D. ’05

Despite the world being more distanced, Ian Greer is fostering connections between workers in Ithaca and across the Atlantic.
Ian Greer, M.S. ’03, Ph.D. ’05

Michael Sanchez ’23

Before coming to ILR, Michael Sanchez spent five years serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he learned that quality leadership is the most important factor in the success of any team or company.
Michael Sanchez ’23 sitting in a military helicopter
Michael Sanchez ’23

Alex Eshelman ’22

ILR junior is making a difference through work with art and anti-violence organization OPEN DOORS.
Alex Eshelman ’22
Alex Eshelman ’22

Caleb Harden ’22

Storytelling through video -- ILR student Caleb Harden used his talent to produce a tribute to the Class of 2020 when the pandemic disrupted their final months at Cornell.
Caleb Harden, ILR School Class of 2022
Caleb Harden ’22

Betsy East MILR ’89

Betsy East worked in a variety of positions at Cornell for nearly 40 years, using her MILR degree nearly every step of the way.
Betsy East, MILR ’89
Betsy East MILR ’89

Daniel James II ’22

The creator and host of “Black Voices on the Hill,’“ featuring the stories and experiences of Black Cornell community members, says ILR “has been, by far, one of the best decisions I ever made."
Daniel James II ’22
Daniel James II ’22

Dennis Woodside ’91

Dennis Woodside ’91 took his ILR degree to Stanford Law School, to a clerkship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, to the boardrooms of some of the most recognizable companies in the country.
Dennis Woodside ’91
Dennis Woodside ’91

Jenniffer Flores ’22

ILR's influence is helping Jenniffer Flores lead students toward greater financial literacy.
Jenniffer Flores
Jenniffer Flores ’22

Dustin Liu ’19

Dustin Liu ’19 is the son of Taiwanese immigrants who fostered in him the belief that individuals can inspire social change – a belief that was solidified during his time at ILR.
Dustin Liu ’19
Dustin Liu ’19